"Nobody Puts Baby in a Corner" is the seventh episode of the second season of the American mystery television series Veronica Mars, and the twenty-ninth episode overall. Written by Diane Ruggiero and directed by Nick Marck, the episode premiered on UPN on November 16, 2005.
In this episode, Duncan (Teddy Dunn) calls on Veronica to help investigate a subject of child abuse mentioned in his ex-girlfriend, Meg's (Alona Tal) journal. Meanwhile, the Casablancas family splits up Dick Sr.'s (David Starzyk) assets.
Plot[]
Veronica and Duncan are making out in Duncan's suite when Logan, who is now living there, walks in the door. Kendall shows up, and Logan invites her into the hotel room, making Duncan and Veronica uncomfortable. In a Future Business Leaders of America meeting, Cassidy comes out on top of the hypothetical business contest.
Keith talks to new mayor Woody Goodman, who describes his plan to incorporate Neptune as a city. Woody offers to make Keith police chief if that happens.
Logan meets Veronica in the girls' bathroom and asks her to investigate the man claiming to be the "witness" to the murder of Felix Toombs, and she agrees. Duncan pulls Veronica aside and tells her he was looking through Meg's files and has found she was emailing with child protective services about a child who was being abused. Meg never says the name of the child in her emails, but describes the child as between 7–10 years old. Duncan explains that Meg babysat for a lot of families, and Veronica and Duncan decide to break into Meg's house for more evidence.
The Casablancas talk to a lawyer, who tells them the house and cars are paid off. However, Kendall has no assets separate from Dick Casablancas Sr, so all her accounts are frozen. Dick and Beaver each have a trust fund, but they are restricted from accessing the money until they turn 21. One of Meg's clients was the Goodman family, so Veronica arranges to go over to Gia's house for a sleepover. Veronica gets a babysitting job with one of the families who Meg babysat for, who appear very uptight and have Edwin's night scheduled down to the minute. At the babysitting job, Edwin's parents say that they almost let Meg go because of Duncan. Logan appears at the house where Veronica is babysitting. She presents information on Logan's accuser, but Logan says the man who contacted the police is not the same man he saw on the bridge. Edwin's parents come home early, and Logan has to leave. The parents thank Veronica, and while walking her out the father invites Veronica to his boat to smoke marijuana and then hands her a drawing Edwin made of her, showing her head cut off of her body.
Dick and Beaver's biological mother appears at their house. She decides to sign over their trust fund money instead of allowing Dick and Beaver to move in with her. Veronica gets another babysitting job with one of Meg's clients, this one a high-pressure teacher. However, her son is bratty and high-maintenance. In order to get information on Logan's supposed witness, a plastic surgeon named Dr. Griffith, Veronica makes an appointment with him. He seems honest at first, but he lies to Veronica about having to leave for a surgery. Veronica trails him to a cigar shop. When Veronica arrives at Gia's house for the sleepover she notices that everything is labeled obsessively. Gia then "surprises" Veronica with a girls' night sleepover. Logan ends his friends-with-benefits relationship with Kendall after she pressures him for money. Kendall responds by unsuccessfully trying to seduce Duncan. During the sleepover, Veronica meets Gia's little brother, Rodney, who becomes extremely anxious after spilling a cup of water. Veronica overhears Woody telling Rodney that he'll have to tell Mrs. Goodman about the spilled water. Later Veronica sneaks away from the party and sees Woody and Mrs. Goodman speaking to Rodney, before Mrs. Goodman leads Rodney to an unknown room. Dick and Beaver, drunk, crash Gia's sleepover.
Sheriff Lamb releases Veronica & Duncan.
Veronica learns from Keith that the cigar shop she went into is notorious for drug dealing. Logan tells Veronica that Kendall went into Duncan's room for a little while. Veronica and Duncan break into Meg's house using a hidden key Duncan knows about from Meg. They find the evidence they were looking for in Meg's air vent. Duncan steals a letter when Veronica isn't looking. Veronica figures out that Meg was actually reporting the child abuse of her youngest sister. While searching for additional evidence Veronica finds Grace Manning locked in a closet. However, Meg's dad suddenly arrives with a baseball bat and calls the Sheriff. Sheriff Lamb arrives and while placing Veronica and Duncan in handcuffs Veronica quietly begs him to look in the closet. After putting Veronica and Duncan inside the patrol car Sheriff Lamb goes back inside and finds the secret room. Mr. Manning insists he is the victim, but Sheriff Lamb tells him he's heard all the excuses before. Sheriff Lamb drives away from the Manning house with Veronica and Duncan, but soon lets them go before returning to the Manning house where he waits menacingly outside.
Arc significance[]
- The newly-discovered witness to Felix's murder is Dr. Tom Griffith, a plastic surgeon. Logan asks Veronica to prove that Griffith is lying and says that he wasn't the man on the bridge.
- Woody Goodman tells Keith of his plan for Neptune, which involves incorporating the wealthy part of the town.
- Dick and Beaver's real mother shows up to unlock their trust funds.
- Duncan finds a letter in the vent in Meg's room and pockets it.
- The child being emotionally abused is Meg's little sister, Grace. Their parents lock her in a secret room in the closet and force her to write "The road to God is paved with righteousness." Veronica and Duncan find this out, but Stewart Manning immediately stops them and calls Sheriff Lamb. Lamb lets Veronica and Duncan go and then waits outside the Manning house.
- Sheriff Lamb hints that he was abused by his own father; this is, presumably, his reason for letting Duncan and Veronica go and then returning to the Manning residence. This also marks one of the few times that he immediately takes Veronica seriously when she reports a crime. When cuffing her, he leans forward, to show that he wants her to whisper something in his ear. She then tells him where to look for the secret room.
Cast[]
Main Cast[]
- Kristen Bell as Veronica Mars
- Percy Daggs III as Wallace Fennel
- Teddy Dunn as Duncan Kane
- Jason Dohring as Logan Echolls
- Francis Capra as Eli "Weevil" Navarro
- Ryan Hansen as Dick Casablancas
- Kyle Gallner as Cassidy "Beaver" Casablancas
- Tessa Thompson as Jackie Cook
- Enrico Colantoni as Keith Mars
Guest Stars[]
- Michael Muhney as Don Lamb
- Krysten Ritter as Gia Goodman
- Rick Peters as Tom Griffith
- Geoff Pierson as Stewart Manning
- Kari Coleman as Deborah Hauser
- Kate McNeil as Betina Casablancas
- Lisa Long as Jessica Fuller
- Katie Mitchell as Rose Manning
- Michael Kostroff as Samuel Pope
- Charisma Carpenter as Kendall Casablancas
- Steve Guttenberg as Woody Goodman
- Ian Brininstool as Rodney Goodman
Music[]
- "Pon de Replay" - Rihanna
- "Nth Degree" - Morningwood
- "Run" - Air
Quotes[]
- Veronica: Ass slaps and hi-fives to Logan for banging the hot chick. Maybe she'll buy us beer.
- Logan: [ to Kendall ] Wow, your feelings have grown as your available balance has shrunk. Its like science.
- Mr. Pope: Last week, Miss Mars was, as you kids call it, flush, with Mr. Casablancas breathing down her neck. Well, the worm has turned.
- Beaver: Boo-yeah!
- Veronica: Nobody likes an eager beaver.
- Keith: Well, look who got an invite to the sheriff department's fundraiser slash bachelor auction.
- Veronica: Please say "Veronica Mars."
- Keith: Sorry, sweetheart. You can't buy love. Bored wives of the wealthy, however, can.
- Ms. Hauser: STDs will kill you.
- Jane: Ah-choo!
- Ms. Hauser: Sexually transmitted diseases are no joke, Jane.
- Jane: I wasn't laughing, I sneezed.
- Ms. Hauser: See how much you're sneezing when you have gonorrhea!
- Gia: Ms. Hauser, mine is wrong. Isn't this a flower?
- Ms. Hauser: No, Gia, Chlamydia is not a flower.
- Gia: But we have it on, like, a trellis at our beach house.
- Veronica: Then your trellis is a whore.
Trivia[]
- The episode had an estimated audience of 2.9 million US viewers on its first airing.
- Despite being credited, Percy Daggs III (Wallace), Francis Capra (Weevil), and Tessa Thompson (Jackie Cook) do not appear in this episode.
- Logan's line "You've been a puppet, a pauper, a pirate, a poet" is a lyric from Frank Sinatra's "That's Life."
- Kristen Bell also played a girl seeking plastic surgery as a guest-star in an episode of Everwood.
- The title is a quotation of a memorable line by Johnny (Patrick Swayze) in the movie Dirty Dancing.
Goofs[]
- When Lamb drives away from the Manning house, he buckles his seat belt. When he stops around the corner to let Veronica and Duncan out, he is no longer buckled up.
- When Gia places Veronica's shoes in the closet, they don't have any laces in them.
External links[]
- MI.net's Roundtable Review.
- Soulful Spike Society's Open Case.
- Television Without Pity Recap.
- Nobody Puts Baby in a Corner T-Shirt Shirt Available Here.